The Invisible Puppeteers in your Kitchen (and how to evict them)

If you’ve been paying attention you will, I’m sure, have been sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for my deathless prose on the subjects of Endocrine Disruptors and PFAS chemicals (colloquially known as 'forever chemicals'). This is a highly complex subject mostly shrouded in shades of grey.  The slow, long-term nature of the problems we now see are masked by industry lobbies and uncertain governance.  If you have been reading my emails for long, you will also know, I’m no scientist. So, to be able you give you a clear-ish picture of what is going on I enlisted the editing help of a scientist friend who thinks about these things. In other words, the following, is as even and unbiased an opinion as I think you are going to get. 

 

But before I get to this, a little later I’ll be talking about one of my favourite ranges of cookware, one that we’ve been stocking since 2009… so 17 years, and which is particularly relevant given the subject of this newsletter.

 

That was the opening line of a LinkedIn post that made me stop mid-scroll. George Darrah, a partner at Systemiq Capital, wasn’t joking, he was highlighting a problem most of us barely notice until it hits home, how some of the food we've been eating for decades is, in his opinion, potentially toxic.

 

According to Darrah, exposure to chemicals in our food costs the global economy a staggering $3 trillion every year, almost the size of the UK economy, through falling fertility, developmental disorders, metabolic and circulatory diseases. As the message spreads, opportunists are circling, offering us probiotics that claim to 'remove PFAS', apps that detect chemical contamination in supermarket foods….  There’s money to be made, and it’s clear that where there’s a problem, there’s a market.  But, market demand often leads to some of the most creative solutions.

 

But before we say hooray for innovation, it’s worth asking, why are we in this mess in the first place?

 

We’ve been producing synthetic chemicals for over a century, many had immediate value to industry and food production (which helped feed millions) and any long-term impacts were just not detectable then.  Some of these chemicals are now known to be EDCs. Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, and these are everywhere: in plastics, non-stick cookware, cosmetics, cleaning products, food packaging, in our water and even household dust and the air we breathe. EDCs can mimic or block our hormones, hijacking the very systems that regulate our growth, metabolism, reproduction, and even brain development.

 

So, EDCs confuse the body’s signalling systems and their effects are many: reduced sperm counts, polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, obesity, diabetes, cancers, and neurological changes have all now been linked. And yes, infants are the most vulnerable, often through everyday items such as dummies or food packaging. I heard them called “The Invisible Puppeteers”.

BPA, phthalates, dioxins, PCBs, and PFAS are just a few of the usual EDC suspects. Some (PCBs), were banned here decades ago, but linger in air, water, soil, and the food chain. Others, eg. BPA, are still widespread, often in products labelled “safe” or “BPA-free”, even when independent testing shows otherwise.

 

The Guardian recently reported on BPA in pacifiers marketed as “BPA-free.” Tests found the chemical in four out of 19 dummies, including big-name brands. BPA mimics oestrogen, and early-life exposure can alter sexual development and metabolism. Regulation bans them from bottles but not pacifiers, a glaring loophole. Manufacturers either disputed the results or called them “insignificant” which leaves consumers in the lurch.

This story repeats itself across products and regions, PFAS in non-stick pans, phthalates in cosmetics and plastic water bottles and flame retardants in furniture….

 

Here’s the uncomfortable truth, while research has been sounding alarms for decades (e.g. Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, Theo Colborn’s Our Stolen Future, the Wingspread Conference in 1991) regulatory action is slow or piecemeal.  Some companies have a vested interest in defending the status quo. “Safe limits”, voluntary recalls, and shifting blame to “consumer responsibility” all protect profits while leaving our public health exposed. 

 

First - understand it’s really hard to know what to do. Information is hard to get and regulation lags, so my top tips are:

 

So, after these cheery and challenging thoughts this early Saturday morning, allow me to sell you the idea of a nonstick coated range of cookware from GreenPan that is PFAS free and therefore, so far as we know, not plotting against your hormones.

 

GreenPan's party trick?

 

A non-stick coating called Thermolon, made not from the usual petrochemical suspects, but from silica. Sand, in other words. Which sounds like the sort of thing a child suggests at the beach, not something that ends up letting you fry an egg on it.  

My first experience using a ceramic frying pan was 17 years ago when we first stocked Greenpan, there was also much talk, only half remembered now, of significantly reduced energy in production*, and the worthy inclusion of recycled aluminium. 

On testing it out at the time, the sample I was given, a 28cm frying pan, performed very well. It spread the heat well, and the nonstick was nonstick despite what it was made of.  After some considerable use though, I realised that it had lost its ability to fry, say an egg in it easily, without oil. So, whilst still a nonstick surface, it wasn’t as slippery as it had once been.  I asked them about this and got an answer back that if you overheat the pan at a certain temperature it changes the structure of the coating and loses say 25% of its nonstick ability* 

In the end they wanted the pan back for testing, but if I still had it, I feel that there’s chance I might still be using it 17 years on, because what it doesn’t do, is the dramatic death spiral of traditional plastic-based non-sticks, which, once overheated badly, begin their slow, inevitable walk to the gallows, losing most of their nonstick capacity and leeching plastics into your food in the process. The ceramic surface is tougher, more stoic. Abuse it mildly and it shrugs. Abuse it repeatedly and it merely sulks (you overheat me like that and I’m just going to remind you that even you can’t beat physics).

For more detailed information about GreenPan's technology, philosophy and manufacturing process, take a look at our "Why GreenPan?" guide.

GreenPan Copenhagen pans have a minimalist design with clean lines and matt stainless steel handles, and are oven safe to 220 degrees.

A few realities though, because perfection is for brochures. Then and now, GreenPan ceramic pan rims can chip if you go clattering about with metal tools or hard plastics. This is, after all, ceramic, not armour plating. This won’t affect the performance of the pan, just looks a bit off.

Keep it clean if you want the non-stick to behave itself, and as long as you do this (no, don’t using some vicious scourer, they’re good but they’re not bullet proof) then they just clean up beautifully.

As I mentioned, to maintain its nonstick capabilities, use only on a low to medium heat to avoid overheating the surface.

It is, in short, cookware range for the mildly conscientious cook, who doesn’t want to leave the security of a nonstick finish. A cook who likes their kit to perform well, last reasonably, and not come with a side order of chemical anxiety. So, taken as a whole, it’s a thoughtful, well-made range that does what it says, and does it with a certain quiet confidence.

And because even the most eloquent prose benefits from a financial nudge, this weekend you may take an additional 5% off, on top off the existing 20% discount on the website.  

 

Use Code, GREEN26 if buying on line, or tell us who you are if coming into the shops.

The GreenPan Copenhagen Range consists of :

I trust you have a pleasant and peaceful weekend, cook well, and try not to burn anything that you can’t convincingly describe as  “caramelised”!

Warm regards,